Latest News from The Chicago Network

May 5, 2017

TCN'S VISION STATEMENT

As the preeminent organization for Chicago's leading professional women, we are compelled to:

Connect with each other for professional & personal growth
Advance our civic, business & philanthropic communities
Inspire & support the next generation of leaders

TCN Members in the News

SHRADHA AGARWAL RECOGNIZED BY CRAIN'S

Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and President of Outcome Health, was among eight local entrepreneurs recognized and interviewed by Crain's.

In the interview, Shradha shared her hard-won tips, lessons learned, and best advice on everything from hiring to production pitfalls. "We didn't want to just show up and change things around," said Shradha Agarwal, "but we wanted to go in with humility and learn how they operated and where they had done well."

A live discussion with the eight entrepreneurs continued on May 4 at the annual Crain's Small Business Breakfast at the Standard Club. Read more...

K. SUJATA ON BREAKING INTO THE BOYS CLUB AND BUILDING FEMINIST STARTUPS

In an op-ed in Chicago Woman, K. Sujata, President and CEO, Chicago Foundation for Women, shared her thoughts on increasing the number of women in the tech field.

"CEOs must demonstrate a commitment to creating a culture in which women are respected and given opportunity to grow and succeed, in which families, work-life balance, and employees' caregiving responsibilities are acknowledged and accommodated, where pay and benefit practices are fair and transparent, in order to call themselves a truly feminist company." Read more...

VICKY KALOGERA WOMEN IN STEM FEATURE

Vicky Kalogera, E.O. Haven Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Northwestern University, was featured in Chicago Woman's "Women in STEM" feature, which highlighted her involvement with a team that discovered evidence of gravitational waves.

"The LIGO detectors achieved the seemingly impossible and opened up a brand new way of observing and studying the universe, especially dark objects like black holes which do not emit electromagnetic and they generate only gravitational waves."

FUNMI I. OLOPADE CITED BY DAUGHTER FEYI OLOPADE AYODELE IN WOMEN IN STEM FEATURE

Funmi I. Olopade, Associate Dean for Global Health at the University of Chicago, was mentioned in Chicago Woman's "Women in STEM" feature, which highlighted an interview with Funmi's daughter, Feyi Olopade Ayodele, CEO, CancerIQ, Inc.

Feyi shared the story behind the launch of CancerIQ, how it impacts lives, and what she's learned as an entrepreneur. "While talking with my mother, Dr. Fumni Olopade, who happens to be a renowned oncologist at the University of Chicago, I realized that I was judging and investing in companies without any real healthcare or entrepreneur experience myself," said Feyi Olopade Ayodele.

FORBES AMERICA'S TOP PUBLIC COMPANIES

Forbes released its list of America's Top Public Companies. The list is ranked by a composite score that combines four equally weighted measures: revenue, profits, assets and market value as of March 31 closing prices and including all common shares outstanding. The following Network member companies were included:

AbbVie

Abbott Laboratories

Allstate

Alphabet

AT&T

Bank of America

Baxter International

CBRE Group

CDW

CME Group
Conoco Phillips

Discover Financial
Services

Exelon

Goldman Sachs Group

Honeywell International

Ingredion

Jones Lang LaSalle

JP Morgan Chase

Kellogg

Marsh & McLennan
Mattel

Northern Trust

NRG Energy

Tyson Foods

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics
and Fragrance

United Continental
Holdings

UnitedHealth Group

Ventas

Wells Fargo

W.W. Grainger

To view the full list, click here!

Women on Boards

ECONOMIC CLUB OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES MELLODY HOBSON AS CHAIR AND RELEASES NOMINATING SLATE

Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson will become the first African-American woman to chair the Economic Club of Chicago ( Donna Zarcone). Effective July 1st, Mellody will succeed Ilene Gordon, Chairman, President and CEO of Ingredion Incorporated, whose two-year term will end on June 30th. Ilene was the first woman to be appointed to the role. To checkout the Crain's coverage, click here!

The Economic Club of Chicago announced Mellody's appointment as chair at its annual dinner meeting, which featured guest speaker Ginni Rometty of IBM Corporation. The following TCN members on the 2017-2018 nomination slate include:

Officers:

Chair - Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments
Second Vice Chair, Forums - Elizabeth Connelly, Industry Head, Healthcare, Higher Education, NFP of JPMorgan Chase
Secretary - Sheridan Turner, President & CEO of Kohl Children's Museum
President & CEO - Donna F. Zarcone
Ex Officio - Ilene S. Gordon - Chairman, President & CEO of Ingredion Incorporated

At-Large Executive Committee Members And Continuing Directors:

Debra A. Cafaro, Chairman & CEO of Ventas
Roxanne M. Martino, Managing Partner of OceanM19

Incoming Directors:

Sally Blount, PhD, Dean of Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University

Continuing Directors:

Suzanne S. Bettman, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel of LSC Communications
Mary Dillon, Chief Executive Officer of Ulta Beauty
Jeanne Gang, Founder & Design Principal of Studio Gang Architects
Margo Georgiadis, Chief Executive Officer of Mattel, Inc.
Kym Hubbard, Retired Treasurer, CIO & Global Head of Investments of Ernst & Young LLP
Phyllis M. Lockett, Chief Executive Officer of LEAP Innovations
Anne R. Pramaggiore, President & CEO of ComEd
Andrea L. Zopp, Deputy Mayor of City of Chicago

TERRI E. WEAVER ELECTED TO SERVE ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF NURSING

Terri E. Weaver, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the UIC College of Nursing, has been elected to serve a two-year term as a member-at-large on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Prior to joining the board, she served as chair of its Nominating Committee.

New Roles

DANA ANDERSON JOINING MEDIALINK AS CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Dana Anderson is joining MediaLink as Chief Marketing Officer. Dana will be based in MediaLink's Chicago office and will report to Chairman and CEO Michael Kassan and be a member of his executive team. In her previous role, Dana served as Chief Marketing Officer of Mondelez International.

"With the marketplace we're in right now there's never been a time I can think of that's been better or stronger to have someone like Dana's background," said Michael Kassan, CEO. "What Dana will bring above all is that client-side, agency-side leadership and a real global view." Read more...

Awards

MARITA SULLIVAN INDUCTED INTO MOTHER MCAULEY HALL OF HONOR

Marita Sullivan, Chairman of the board of JMG Financial Group, was inducted into the Mother McAuley Hall of honor on Sunday, April 30. She joins fellow TCN members Anne Edwards-Cotter and Ann Bigane Wilson. Established in 2013, McAuley Hall is a permanent installation at the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, serving to educate and inspire current and future students and all who visit the school. Please contact Anne Cotter ( A.Cotter@cotterconsulting.com) if you are a McAuley alum or attended an all-girls high school.

CHERRYL THOMAS TO BE HONORED AT ST. IGNATIUS COMMENCEMENT

Cherryl Thomas, President & CEO Ardmore Associates, LLC, will be presented with the prestigious Dei Gloriam award from her alma mater, St. Ignatius College Prep, at its Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 25. The event will be held at the University of Illinois Forum.

The Dei Gloriam Award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by St. Ignatius College Prep and will be given in recognition of Cherryl's extraordinary commitment to the Church, Jesuit education, and Saint Ignatius College Prep in the spirit of the Jesuit ideal; Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (for the greater glory of God).

Julie Scott, President & CEO of CTS Impact, serves as a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Board and Finance Chair of St. Ignatius College Prep.

TERRI WEAVER TO BE INDUCTED INTO HONOR SOCIETY HALL OF FAME

Terri E. Weaver will be one of a select group of scientists to be inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place on July 29 in Dublin during Sigma Theta Tau's 28th International Nursing Research Congress.

Announcements

MARTHA NUSSBAUM HIGHEST HONOR LECTURE IN D.C.

Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor at The University of Chicago, delivered the Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities on May 1 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Her talk, "Powerlessness and the Politics of Blame," focused on her years of work on the role of emotion in politics to explore the emotional dynamics at play in American and other societies today. The lecture, established by the NEH in 1972, is the highest honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities. Read more...

CAROL ROSS BARNEY KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Carol Ross Barney, President of r-barc, was featured as a keynote speaker in Chicago at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Business' 57th Annual Spring Luncheon on Friday, April 24. The annual gathering welcomed more than 1,000 fellow alumni and guests in recognition of alumni and faculty for their achievements and service to the College of Business and the University of Illinois.

Carol Ross Barney (L) and Julie Scott, President & CEO of CTS Impact. (R)

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE 2017 CHICAGO INNOVATION AWARDS

Nominations are now open for the 2017 Chicago Innovation Awards, the foremost annual celebration of innovation in the Chicago region. Whether you work for a large company or small start-up, for-profit or non-profit, high-tech or low-tech, across all industries, you can nominate your new product or service for this year's awards. Nominations will be accepted through July 31st.

Winners receive valuable opportunities for recognition, including: